Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Encompass Health Co. (NYSE:EHC) by 22.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 700,021 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 126,000 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Encompass Health were worth $67,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 387.7% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Encompass Health by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Encompass Health in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Encompass Health by 58.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Encompass Health during the second quarter worth about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on EHC shares. Barclays increased their price target on Encompass Health from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Encompass Health from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $116.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Encompass Health in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Encompass Health from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Encompass Health from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.11.

Encompass Health Stock Performance

Encompass Health stock opened at $97.70 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.86. Encompass Health Co. has a 12 month low of $65.39 and a 12 month high of $104.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $99.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Encompass Health had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. Research analysts expect that Encompass Health Co. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Encompass Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Encompass Health’s payout ratio is 16.43%.

Encompass Health Company Profile

Encompass Health Corporation provides post-acute healthcare services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It owns and operates inpatient rehabilitation hospitals that provide medical, nursing, therapy, and ancillary services. The company provides specialized rehabilitative treatment on an inpatient basis to patients who have experienced physical or cognitive disabilities or injuries due to medical conditions, such as strokes, hip fractures, and various debilitating neurological conditions.